This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree which was selected from a population of seedlings resulting from known crosses of Golden Delicious apple (unpatented and the seed parent) and Ingrid Marie (unpatented and the pollen parent). The crosses were made in 1955 by Dr. T. Visser at the Institute for Horticultural Plant Breeding, Mansholtlaan 15, Wageningen, Netherlands.
The new seedling variety first fruited in 1963 and was selected for propagation and further testing in 1965. It since has been recognized and selected as a new and improved apple variety which is distinctive from its parents as well as from all other apple varieties. It possesses several unusual and commercially desirable characteristics as set forth below:
1. A very high quality dessert fruit embracing the best dessert characteristics of both its parents. It possesses a distinctive taste and fruity aroma plus creamy-white flesh which is solid and juicy. It is suitable for eating fresh and for baking and salads. It is unsuitable for processing into juices and sauce.
2. A regular and annual bearing habit which differs from its Golden Delicious seed parent but is similar to its pollen parent, the Ingrid Marie variety.
3. A dense foliage, bushy characteristic of growth that continues late into the season and possesses leaves that remain on the tree relatively late into Autumn. In this respect it differs distinctly from its seed parent but less so from its pollen parent.
4. A primary shoot-growth characteristic that often produces two or three new smaller shoots at their apex. The new seedling variety differs from both of its parents in this unique growth characteristic.
5. A fruit form, shape and size (roundish, conic, broad, about 3 to 31/4 inch diameter (similar to its pollen parent the Ingrid Marie variety but different from its seed parent the Golden Delicious variety).
6. Fruit with a distinctive and attractive golden-yellow ground color overlaid with bright-red stripes which coalesce into an overall red color as the season progresses.
7. A tree growth character more vigorous and branching more freely than either of its parent varieties.
8. A good-keeping (long storage life) apple similar in this respect to both of its parent varieties.
9. A fruit stock stem similar to its pollen parent but differing from its seed parent.
The new seedling variety has been reproduced asexually by budding and grafting. All subsequent asexually produced generations have been true to form in both their growth and fruiting characteristics and show that the foregoing characteristics come true and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations and generations.